Sinn Fein has expressed serious concern about Special Branch
attempts to recruit a Derry man to inform on republican Assembly
candidate Raymond McCartney. The man claims he had been arrested
by the PSNI for non-payment of a fine and while in custody he
was approached by a PSNI man who told him a community worker
wished to speak with him.

"This community worker started asking me questions about
my background, my hobbies and the like and, as he was supposed
to be a community worker, I saw nothing wrong in answering him."
said the man "Eventually he said he was unable to help and
I was put back into my cell. Shortly afterwards two men who said
they were community policemen, came to talk to me. They started
asking me about my life and the various things I did and it was
only later I realized they were using the information I had given
to this so-called community worker. They then started asking
me about how they were in the business of crime prevention and
said that I could help them to prevent crime happening, as I
was well placed in the local community."

The man claims that at this point the men in question asked him
if he would keep an eye on Sinn Fein Assembly candidate Raymond
McCartney. The man asked them if they were asking him to be a
"tout' and in response they again talked of crime prevention.

"They then asked me who would I rather be talking to, them
or Martin McGuinness?"

Describing the man's claims as "sinister and extremely worrying,"
Sinn Fein councillor Barney O'Hagan said it appeared the Special
Branch were still operating under the Walker guidelines - which
dictate that Special Branch must be notified of anyone coming
into contact with the PSNI so they can be assessed for suitability
as informers.

"This young man found himself on the wrong side of the traffic
laws and ended up being asked to work as an informer," said
O'Hagan, who added, "I believe this is a sinister incident,
especially when set against the background of collusion as revealed
by the Stevens report. Given what we know about collusion it
is clear that Special Branch operated loyalist death squads and
we would be very concerned about their interest in Raymond McCartney.
Why are Special Branch focusing on one of our candidates? Are
they setting him up for assasination?"

"The people of Derry do not need or want this type of 'community
policing' and that is why Sinn Fein is fighting for a proper
new beginning to policing. We need the complete disbandment of
the Special Branch and those former Special Branch officers who
transferred into the uniform branch have to be rooted out."